Category Archives: England

Listen to the conversations that ensue when a score of librarians gather, and you’ll understand why I scampered over to Columbus College of Art and Design’s Packard Library for an open house. In the course of the first five minutes, … Continue reading →

My traveling wings have been clipped. Coming to terms with it isn’t easy, but I’m finding new outlets for my love of going places and seeing things while staying at home — at least for now. One is the National … Continue reading →

What’s the first thing that you did when you became the owner of your home? Sir Charles Trevelyan, his wife, Lady Mary (known as Molly), and their six children aged between 8 and 22 gathered in the central hall of … Continue reading →

A gale of chilly wind propelled us down the steep slope from Bamburgh Castle along Radcliffe Road as we scurried past snails, rushed by rose-covered cottages and passed up petting jacketed dogs on walks. I was on a mission to … Continue reading →

You might recognize it as Hogwarts from the first two Harry Potter films, or as Brancaster Castle, the home of Downton Abbey’s Lady Edith Crawley and her husband, Bertie Pelham, the Marquess of Hexham. But to Northumbrians, it’s better known … Continue reading →

Start a conversation with me about what’s new in Northumberland National Park and I’d have plenty to say. I’d begin by announcing the return of Ratty, the loveable water vole in Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows, to Kielder … Continue reading →

While I was taking a hairdryer to three waterlogged Barbours, Cumbria-based artist Helen Walsh was showing a group of museumgoers how to embellish fabric with beads and sequins, I discovered. Lovely 1920s purses provided the inspiration for the September session … Continue reading →